Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Pachinko, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Survival and Family
Imperialism, Resistance, and Compromise
Identity, Blood, and Contamination
Love, Motherhood, and Women’s Choices
Summary
Analysis
That same day, Yoseb gets a job offer at a factory in Nagasaki, paying triple his current salary. The next morning, he packs up and leaves. Meanwhile, Changho transports the women and boys to Tamaguchi’s sweet potato farm. Tamaguchi has been growing wealthy by selling his sweet potatoes on the black market since the war started, hence his connection with Hansu and his agreement to take in the Korean boarders. He quickly discovers that Sunja and her family are all excellent workers around the farm.
Given his struggles to provide for the family, Yoseb unhesitatingly takes the higher-paying job, even though it will mean being separated from them for a while. Hansu uses his black market connections to house Sunja’s family. Tamaguchi is a good example of someone who has not only compromised with the wartime regime but capitalized on it.
Themes
Four months after their arrival on Tamaguchi’s farm, Hansu arrives with Yangjin, who looks frightened, tired, and malnourished. Soon Sunja and Yangjin have a tearful reunion in the middle of the potato field. After eating dinner with Tamaguchi, Hansu finds Sunja’s family finishing dinner in the barn that’s been outfitted into living space. As Yangjin continues to weep with gratitude, Sunja wonders about Hansu’s continual presence in her life.
Hansu uses his connections to bring Sunja’s mother to safety in Japan; she has plainly suffered in Korea. Sunja’s family is doing well on Tamaguchi’s farm, although they live a separate existence from the Japanese members of the household. Sunja knows they wouldn’t enjoy any of these privileges if it weren’t for Hansu’s interference.
Themes
Hansu sits and talks with the boys: formal, studious Noa is twelve, and chatty Mozasu is six. The boys are well fed and thriving. When Hansu asks Noa if he’d like to return to school after the war, Sunja wonders what the family will do then, as Yangjin’s boardinghouse has been sold, and there’s nothing left of Yeongdo. Hansu gives Noa some Korean comic books and encourages him to learn how to read them.
This is the first time Hansu has spoken with the boys, particularly with his own son, Noa. He encourages Noa’s scholarly leanings and encourages both boys to learn to read Korean, something they wouldn’t have studied in Japanese schools. Meanwhile, Sunja wonders what kind of future is open to the family—even with Hansu’s help—since all they know in Korea is gone, leaving them rootless.
Themes
While the others are occupied with the comic books, Hansu and Sunja talk. Hansu explains that instead of just tracking down news of Yangjin, he’d thought it would be better to bring her to Japan, since things in Korea are very unstable. No one knows who will be in charge of Korea after the war, and there will certainly be confusion and bloodshed in the aftermath. Hansu says that he’ll take care of himself—he’d never entrust his life to politicians. He promises he’ll take care of Sunja and her family after the war, too. Sunja says she’ll work to support her boys, since she doesn’t know how to explain Hansu to her family.
Korea’s colonized status leaves it especially vulnerable as the war winds down. Because he’s so wealthy, Hansu is able to bypass the political turmoil and fend for himself in these unstable circumstances; those with less power won’t be so lucky. Sunja doesn’t want to benefit from Hansu’s power, but for now, she’s chosen to accept his help for her boys’ sake, seeing it her duty as a mother.
Themes
Get the entire Pachinko LitChart as a printable PDF.
